There was a festive feel around the streets of Kawasaki, but even with Christmas a week away, the 75th anniversary running of the Jpn1 Zen Nippon Nisai Yushun meant the only thing anyone inside the racetrack was dreaming about was Churchill Downs in May.
A huge banner showing last year’s winner, the late Myriad Love, carrying the slogan “Go For Kentucky” made sure everyone knew this was a Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby points race.
Godolphin’s homebred Pyromancer might just be the horse to turn that Kentucky dream to reality. The Keiji Yoshimura-trained colt took his unbeaten career tally to three with a battling neck victory in front of a crowded grandstand and bagged those 20 Kentucky Derby points.
Whether Pyromancer’s win proves to be enough to convince team Godolphin of a trip to the G1 Kentucky Derby is yet to be decided, but Forever Young’s exploits since winning this race two years ago have given Japan’s horsemen confidence that Kentucky in May is conquerable.
After all, Forever Young was an unlucky and close third in the ‘Run for the Roses’ and has since gone on to triumph in the G1 Saudi Cup in Riyadh and the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in California.
As Pyromancer’s trainer made his way to the post-race interview, he was asked if the Kentucky Derby was the aim.
He laughed and responded, “It’s still too early to say because I have yet to discuss the plan with his owners, but hopefully we can be there.”
Before then, Pyromancer will be pointed towards the Middle East to prove his merit on the international stage.
“We said we would like to go to the UAE Derby,” Yoshimura said. “And of course, going to the Kentucky Derby is my dream. I still remember the Kentucky Derby when Yutaka Take rode Ski Captain, and the scene where horses walk towards the paddock with their connections before the race makes me emotional every time.”
Yoshimura recalled that he was 23 when Take and Ski Captain took on the challenge 30 years ago, and added that while he has been to the sales in Kentucky, he has not seen the Kentucky Derby in person.
“It’s a dream race for me,” he said. “I really want to go there and watch the race, so my horse is the best opportunity for me. (If we go) I will definitely get emotional when I walk the track with my horse, with everybody singing My Old Kentucky Home. But still, we need to tackle every race at a time.”
The Zen Nippon Nisai Yushun over a mile is Japan’s top dirt race for juveniles, staged at the National Association of Racing’s (NAR) Kawasaki race track located in the built-up sprawl midway between downtown Tokyo and Yokohama. Runners from the Japan Racing Association (JRA) have dominated but this time the NAR’s unbeaten Best Green, down from Hokkaido, was the 1.9 favourite.
At the break, there was no eager leader, but Yutaka Take soon decided to take it on aboard Idaten Shacho, with the slightly distracted Pyromancer – ears flicking and head up at times – and Best Green in the stalking positions. Take’s mount weakened on the final turn and the race became a final stretch battle between Pyromancer and Best Green.
Pyromancer finally shrugged off that rival with 100 metres to go, only to find the filly Tamamo Freesia – winner of Jpn3 JBC Nisai Yushun – closing hard. But Pyromancer had done enough for the win.
“I always believed the horse had the ability to win this race, it’s a great win for sure,” winning rider Mirai Iwata said. “Every horse settled into their positions faster than I thought, and the pace was slow. This is the first time the horse had experienced a night race as well as a left-turn course, so he looked really confused.
“It’s amazing he could still win and hold off the opponent in the final moment. He seemed to relax a little bit after he finally took the lead late in the stretch, so I was really worried when I saw there was a horse coming fast on the outside, but it ended well. I’m really looking forward to this horse next year.”
Yoshimura said the Saudi Derby had not been ruled out but emphasised that it was not his preferred option right now.
“I don’t want to over-race him, so probably we may just head to the UAE Derby next,” he said. “It isn’t easy for a horse travelling from Saudi to Dubai. The Saudi Derby is a tricky race as well.”
“I will have to talk to the owners about plans,” he said, “but it is always better when you have a lot of options than nothing.”
As for the Kentucky Derby, he reiterated, “We will take every race seriously one at a time, and hopefully we can get good results and be there next May.” ∎
